Nerviest Little Man in Nebraska

1907

Raymond Weber, Aged 4

He didn't cry, although his father did when the latter found him alive at bottom of a well.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb., March 9 — Raymond Weber, of this city, is only 4 years old, but he has won distinction of being the nerviest little man in Nebraska. Raymond is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Weber. He was playing in the yard with his 7-year-old brother, and the two went to the well and looked down.

There they saw a silver speck, and they wondered if it were really water and if there were gnomes and fairies and things down there. Raymond leaned way over to see. Suddenly he lost his hold and down he went. His brother ran screaming away, but soon the neighbors for a mile around were on the scene.

It was twenty-five feet to the bottom, and a windlass had to be rigged. Soon the father was going down with a load on his heart as heavy as lead, but hoping also. At the bottom he found his boy, standing in a foot of water, cool and with not a tear. "Me wet, papa," he said, as the sobbing man gathered him up.

What's Wrong, Lassie? Rover's In The Well?

1910

Dog's Remarkable Intelligence

Thomas Jones, who owns a big ranch on San Juan island, lost a collie dog last fall for nearly a month, and for several days searched the woods about his place zealously for the animal, without success. One day he tossed a bone to another collie. Instead of gnawing it, he picked it up and started for the woods. He kept turning his head, apparently to see if he was followed, and Jones concluded to follow him.

The dog trotted along for about a mile and stopped at the edge of an abandoned well. He dropped the bone over the edge of the well. Jones got a ladder, climbed down and found the dog that had been lost. There was only about two inches of water in the well, but the animal would have starved to death had it not been for the other. The lost dog was in good condition, and as it had been missing 24 days the other animal must have kept it supplied with food for nearly a month.


The Rule of the Road

There appears to be no definite record explaining the prevailing custom of turning our vehicles to the right in this country. One authority says that it grew out of the fact that in our early colonial days, before the arrival of rigs for pleasure driving, the drivers of heavy vehicles used in transportation fell into the way of turning to the right.

The English custom of turning to the left is an ancient one. It obtains in practically all of the British provinces.

A grizzled driver in Bermuda, asked once why all drivers turned to the left, explained that it was done so they could see just how much room they had.


Strength of Locomotive

A railway engine may roughly be said to equal in strength 900 horses.

Squirrels Raid An Attic

1915

Confiscate Winter Supply of Black Walnuts, But Family Capitulates

Huntington, Indiana — A squadron of flyers has laid siege to and captured one stronghold in the heart of the residence district of Huntington. The besiegers have appropriated a winter's stock of supplies and those assailed have capitulated.

The squadron comprises a number of flying squirrels. A winter's supply of walnuts was scented in the attic at the home of Clinton Butler, an Erie engineer. An opening into the attic was discovered and possession taken by the squirrels. The scamperings of the squirrels were heard by the Butler family during the day and their chatter disturbed the sleep of the family at night. Investigation resulted in solving the disappearance of the nuts.

In an effort to win the friendship of the little animals food is set out for them.


Flower Stems Saved Her Life

Newport, Kentucky — Mrs. Ida Muth owes her escape from death by drowning to a large bunch of withered canna stalks and flowers she intended throwing away. She stepped upon the cover of an abandoned cistern, which gave way and she plunged into 12 feet of water. The canna stalks proved buoyant and for many minutes they kept her head above water. Her screams brought help.

Man is Buried Alive in Well, Dies at Rescue

1915

Pennsylvania Farmer Imprisoned Under Arch of Tons of Earth and Stone

Wheatsheaf, Pa. — Imprisonment for 18 hours under tons of earth in an old 32-foot well so seriously affected William Chapman of Wheatsheaf that he died a few minutes before he was dug out, after directing the efforts of rescuers for several hours. Physicians worked for an hour with a pulmotor and oxygen, but failed to revive Mr. Chapman. It is believed his heart failed when he felt the hand of the first rescuer to reach him and that death followed instantly.

Mr. Chapman was a farmer and was also employed as engineer in the workings of the Penn Sand & Gravel company of Tullytown. He was sturdy man of middle age, in excellent health.

Because of recent rains, Mr. Chapman was unable to work in the Penn quarries and determined to make some repairs in the well on the farm he had rented. He was descending the slippery wall when two large stones slipped from their places in the wall of the well and precipitated him to the bottom, following which the sides caved in on him. Mrs. Chapman, who was in the house, heard the crash and rushed to the well.

It is believed that when the wall of the well collapsed the stones formed an arch, thus saving Mr. Chapman from instant death. In his narrow prison he obtained air through crevices in the rocks and was able to make such sounds that his relatives and friends knew he was alive.

For 18 hours men worked in relays of four hours each removing earth and stones from the well. Several times they were driven from their task by cave-ins caused by heavy rains. Finally they were within a few feet of Mr. Chapman. He directed their efforts, took nourishment through a tube, spoke words of comfort to his wife and appeared to be both rational and sound.

Soon the workmen reached the last layer of stone. Some worked at the stone while others slipped their hands through crevices and supported Chapman. Even then he appeared to be able to help himself, but when the last rocks were removed and Chapman was taken from the well he was dead, having succumbed just as assurances safety reached him.

Dry Weather Boosts Demand For Water Witch's Service

1936

Old Columbus Tetherow Is Kept Busy with His Divining Rod

[INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE]

MONMOUTH, Ore., Nov. 18.— The continued dry weather in this section has worked to the advantage of at least one person — the water witch.

With wells going dry almost daily, causing a serious problem for livestock owners and housewives alike, the magic wand of Columbus Tetherow, the "Water Witch," has grown constantly in demand.

Livestock owners are beseeching Tetherow to use his "divining rod" to locate wells from which their cattle can drink. Housewives want water with which to do the dishes and other household chores.

The aged Tetherow — he's 77 — is fully qualified for his water-witching duties. He has been at it since shortly after his tenth birthday and claims to be the son of a son of a famous water-witcher of old.

Tetherow's first witching took place when he ridiculed his grandfather's ability. Greatly incensed, the grandfather insisted Columbus do a bit of witching on his own hook — and much to his own surprise the boy found himself unable to prevent the divining rod from pointing out water, he said.

"You can walk miles following a water vein's course," Tetherow explained, "and the stick won't turn. But if you angle across the course of a vein the prong at once turns down. That is where to locate a well, particularly if you have been able to trace two veins to a confluence."

Tetherow does his witching with any sort of wand — even putting a riding whip into successful use on one occasion when no other wand was available, he declared.

He admits the principle of water-witching sounds silly but his record bears proof that it works. The aged diviner has located hundreds of wells along the Willamette valley and has been called to make trips of more than 100 miles in order to witch a prospective well site.

The depth of a prospective well is measured by the distance from the point where his wand first starts to turn to the point where it extends straight down. On one occasion, Tetherow related, he located a well for a friend in total darkness just by the turning of the divining rod. He also told his friend to go down 40 feet, and a later check revealed he missed the exact distance by less than six inches.

—The Hammond Times, Hammond, IN, Nov. 18, 1936, p. 12.

The First Dolls, Beautifully Carved in Babylon

1920

First Dolls

The first dolls of which there is any knowledge were found among the treasures unearthed from the ruins of Babylon. They were small figures in terra cotta and ivory, beautifully carved and must have been fascinating playthings for little Assyrian children. The little girls of Syria had mechanical dolls. The dolls the classic children played with were made of wax and clay, decorated with bright colors. As these children married very young, they played with their dolls until just before their wedding day.


Artesian Wells

The Chinese have obtained water through means of artesian wells for over 1,000 years. One of the most famous wells in existence is that at Grenelle, in the outskirts of Paris, where the water is brought from a depth of 1,508 feet. It yields 516½ gallons of water a minute. Many years ago a well in Petsh was sunk to the depth of 3,100 feet.


Eliminated

Marie and Helen were playing house one day, when Ruth joined them. They were not particularly anxious to see her that day, and finally said, "Well, you can be the maid and this is your day out."—Nebraska Awgwan.

—Bedford Gazette, Bedford, Pennsylvania, January 9, 1920, page 10.